photography

Indiana Adventures - Part 1

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What a week and a half, what a week and a half. Gee whiz, that was fun.

I just returned last Saturday from a week and a half with the boys in Indiana. One day, the boys and I took a day trip down to beautiful Camp Palawopec in Brown County for some swimming, kayaking, bridge crossing, and tractor riding. And, I cannot wait for Hank and Tank to leave their mark on the valley.

It's an absolute privilege to watch these two boys explore the same trails that I got poison ivy on countless times. To have them jump off the same dive tower that I stupidly flipped (with the help of some campers... Tim Fuson and Tom Fell). To have them run through the same pastures where we played soooo much ultimate frisbee. And to cross the same bridges that I nearly fell off of every time it rained.

It was a circle of life moment where I was enjoying all the amazing things that Camp Palawopec has to offer but through my kids' eyes and through their smiles. Moments where I simultaneously wanted to protect them from potential hazards while also wanting them to make mistakes... as long as it doesn't hurt them too bad.

Myself and so many others were ridiculously lucky to have experienced the beauty, the trials, the relationships, the sadness, the joys, and the memories of Camp Palawopec. And my children, wife, friends, and colleagues have a better father, husband, friend, and peer in their lives because of it. Thank you, Nickels-es. Thank you sooooo much :)

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Black Lives Matter - Protest at the Capitol - 2016-07-15

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In the past couple days I realized that I hadn't formally edited pictures from the Black Lives Matter protest last July in the wake of the shootings of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile.

As a white man coming away from that event at the Texas State Capitol in Austin I remember feeling that it's on us white people to end the racial disparities that people of color face every day. It's on us to "limit police interventions, improve community interactions, and ensure accountability." It's on us to reform incarceration practices, to ensure employment, to ensure access to pre-natal care and insurance, to increase high school graduation, college graduation, and access to advanced degrees... the list goes on.

These feelings were deeply felt before Obama left office. And, this administration with Confederate Jeff at the helm of the Attorney General's office pushing for antebellum policing and punishment tactics is just the biggest reminder that your silence as a white person equals consent. It's on us as white people to be out rallying for people of color, for immigrants, for people who are transgender, and for women. It's on us to speak to our kids, our families and colleagues about the injustices our brothers and sisters in our communities are facing.

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At the end of the day I know that my speaking up for others lets friends, family, and colleagues know where I stand and adds another drop in the bucket on the scales of change. 

Thanks for reading!

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